Touch screen based interaction with traffic data

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide a service to goods and/or service providers and consumers in the traditional context of a “first-come, first-served queue” or “class based” queue. A provider presents a listing of one or offerings to consumers to solicit bids for a good or service associated with the offering. After receiving an acceptable bid from a user, the provider provides feedback regarding the bid that indicates the ranking of the user with respect to other bidders in the bidding process. Based on the feedback, the user may submit a modified bid. Following confirmation of a bid by a user, a winning bid is determined and the user is notified.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation and claims the prioritybenefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/860,700 filed Aug. 20, 2010,which is a continuation-in-part and claims the priority benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/398,120 filed Mar. 4, 2009, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Existing broadcast presentations generally include a variety of maps,images, and animations that display current or forecasted conditions forreference by a presenter (i.e., news reporter) during a broadcastpresentation such as a traffic or weather report. The broadcastpresentation is often produced prior to a scheduled broadcast forpresentation by a traffic or weather reporter in a fixed arrangement(much like a slide show) with a prerehearsed script. Although thepresenter has the ability to control the speed and manner in which thebroadcast presentation is presented to a viewing audience, the contentin the maps and images remains fixed. That is, the content presentedduring the broadcast presentation is not in real-time and is outdated.The reporting of outdated information (e.g., traffic or weatherinformation) may have a drastic effect on a viewing audience who mayrely on the reported information to make decisions about such things astravel or logistics.

Another shortcoming of existing broadcast technology is the lack ofinteraction with the content of the virtual broadcast presentation.Since the presentation contains pre-determined content, a presenter isunable to directly interact with or manipulate the maps and images ofthe presentation. The presenter cannot, for example, retrieve real-timeconditions or other information associated with the maps or images ofthe presentation.

As such, there is a need in the art for touch screen based interactionwith traffic data and other related data.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY CLAIMED INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention allow a presenter to interact withtraffic data and other related data in real-time using a touch screen orother suitable display.

In a first claimed embodiment, a method for touch screen basedinteraction with traffic data is claimed. Through the method, a virtualbroadcast presentation is generated based on traffic data received fromone or more information sources. A signal based on user interaction witha touch screen is generated and received. User interaction may includethe selection of an interactive element included in the virtualbroadcast presentation. The signal generated by the touch screen is thenprocessed and the virtual broadcast presentation is updated in responseto the processed signal.

In a second claimed embodiment, a system for touch screen basedinteraction with traffic data is claimed. The system includes at least acommunications module and a presentation rendering module, each modulestored in memory and executable by a processor. Execution of thecommunications module by the processor receives a signal generated bythe touch screen. The signal may be based on user interaction with thetouch screen, wherein the user interaction includes selection of aninteractive element included in a virtual broadcast presentation.Execution of the presentation rendering module by the processorgenerates the virtual broadcast presentation based on traffic datareceived from one or more information sources, processes the signalgenerated by the touch screen, and updates the virtual broadcastpresentation in response to the processed signal.

In a third claimed embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium is claimed. The storage medium includes a computerprogram that is executable by a processor to perform a method for touchscreen based interaction with traffic data. A virtual broadcastpresentation is generated based on traffic data received from one ormore information sources. A signal based on user interaction with atouch screen is generated and received. User interaction may include theselection of an interactive element included in the virtual broadcastpresentation. The signal generated by the touch screen is then processedand the virtual broadcast presentation is updated in response to theprocessed signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an environment for the broadcastof a virtual broadcast presentation that a user may interact with andreference in real-time

FIG. 2 illustrates the virtual broadcast presentation engine of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate a virtual broadcast presentation displayed on atouch screen.

FIG. 4 illustrates an interactive element appearing in a virtualbroadcast presentation.

FIG. 5 illustrates the interaction technique of “pinching” used with avirtual broadcast presentation.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate a virtual broadcast presentation in ‘trip time’mode.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a traffic camera appearing within a virtualbroadcast presentation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for touch screen basedinteraction with traffic data presented in a virtual broadcastpresentation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides for the use of a touch screen to interactwith traffic information and other related data during a virtualbroadcast presentation. The virtual broadcast presentation may includemaps, images, graphics, animations, multimedia overlays, and the like,that are rendered in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional manner on adisplay such as a touch screen. A presenter may refer to thepresentation in real-time and may manipulate a view of the virtualbroadcast presentation using the touch screen. The presenter may alsouse the touch screen to select an interactive element included in thebroadcast presentation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an environment for the broadcastof a virtual broadcast presentation that a user may interact with andreference in real-time. The environment 100 of FIG. 1 includes acomputing device 110 having a virtual broadcast presentation engine 120.The computing device 110 of FIG. 1 is communicatively coupled toinformation sources 130, a touch screen 140, and a broadcast system 150.While FIG. 1 illustrates one particular environment 100 includingcertain elements for the broadcast of a virtual presentation,alternative embodiments may be implemented that utilize differingelements than those disclosed in FIG. 1 (or combinations of the same),but that otherwise fall within the scope and spirit of the presentinvention.

The computing device 110 and the virtual broadcast presentation engine120 may generate a composite presentation that includes a virtualbroadcast presentation. The virtual broadcast presentation may betwo-dimensional or three-dimensional. The composite presentation may begenerated using information obtained in real-time (or near real-time)from the information sources 130 as described in further detail below.The virtual broadcast presentation engine 120, in particular, isdiscussed with respect to FIG. 2. The computing device 110 may includevarious components such as one or more of communications interfaces, aprocessor, memory, storage, and any number of buses providingcommunication therebetween (not depicted). The processor may executeinstructions implemented through computing modules or engines while thememory and storage may both permanently or temporarily store dataincluding the aforementioned modules and engines.

The information sources 130 may be provided by various organizations andin a variety of forms. Information sources 130 may include data sourcesrelated to traffic data such as traffic flow and as described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/302,418, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,221,287, orweather data such as forecasts. Information sources 130 may also includedata sources related to newsworthy events or incidents, school closings,election results, and other information that may be featured in avirtual broadcast presentation. Information sources 130 may requiresubscription or authentication for access and may be accessible viaTelnet, FTP, or web services protocols. Information may be received frominformation sources 130 in real-time or near real-time to allow forgeneration of an equally real-time or near real-time presentation. Thatpresentation may, in turn, be manipulated in real-time.

In an embodiment of the present invention utilizing traffic dataspecific to the San Francisco Bay area, information sources 130 mayinclude one or more of the 511.org system (a collaboration of publicagencies including the California Highway Patrol, MetropolitanTransportation Commission, and CALTRANS), the California Highway Patrol(CHP) World Wide Web server, the PeMS system at the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, various public event listings, or a publicly orprivately accessible user input mechanism. For weather data, theinformation sources 130 may include the National Weather Service amongother weather information sources. Other data sources or alternativetypes of data sources (e.g., non-traffic and non-weather relatedsources) may be incorporated and utilized in various embodiments of thepresent invention.

Touch screen 140 may be any multi-touch touch screen known in the artcapable of recognizing complex gestures. Touch screen 140 may employ anytouch screen technology known in the art including but not limited toresistive technology, surface acoustic wave technology, capacitivesensing (e.g., surface capacitance, projected capacitance, mutualcapacitance, self capacitance), infrared, force panel technology,optical imaging, dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulserecognition, and the like. A presenter may interact with touch screen140 using any interaction technique known in the art such as touch-dragmotions, “pinching,” (e.g., zooming in or out of a web page or photo bytouching the user interface and either spreading two fingers apart orbringing two fingers close together), scrolling (e.g. sliding a fingerup and down or left and right to scroll through a page), or otheruser-centered interactive effects (e.g. horizontally slidingsub-section, bookmarks menu, menu bars, and a “back” button). Touchscreen 140 may include various sensors such as a light sensor foradjusting touch screen brightness. Touch screen 140 may also include atilt sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscopic component, and/ormagnetometer for sensing orientation of touch screen 140 and/orswitching between landscape and portrait modes. Touch screen 140 may bea liquid crystal display or any other suitable display.

The broadcast system 150 disseminates the composite presentation toviewers. Dissemination may occur via radio waves such as UHF or VHF,cable, satellite, or the World Wide Web. Hardware and software necessaryto effectuate a broadcast may be included in the broadcast system 150and are generally known to those skilled in the broadcasting art.

FIG. 2 illustrates the virtual broadcast presentation engine of FIG. 1.The virtual broadcast presentation engine 120 of FIG. 2 includes acommunications module 210, a presentation rendering module 220, aselection module 230, a feedback module 240, and a trip calculationmodule 250. The virtual broadcast presentation engine 120 and itsconstituent modules may be stored in memory and executed by a processingdevice to effectuate the functionality corresponding thereto. Thevirtual broadcast presentation engine 120 may be composed of more orless modules (or combinations of the same) and still fall within thescope of the present invention. For example, the functionality of theselection module 230 and the functionality of the feedback module 240may be combined into a single module.

Execution of the communications module 210 allows for receipt of asignal generated by touch screen 140, which may be based at leastpartially on a user selection such as the selection by a presenter of aninteractive element displayed within the virtual broadcast presentation.The signal may additionally be based on—in part or in whole—theactuation of other components included within the virtual broadcastpresentation such as various soft keys with different functionalities.

In addition to the signal generated by touch screen 140, execution ofthe communications module 210 may also allow for receipt of dynamicinformation from information sources 130. This dynamic information maybe used by other modules for generating, manipulating, and interactingwith the virtual broadcast presentation.

Referring again to FIG. 2, execution of the presentation renderingmodule 220 allows for the generation of a virtual broadcast presentationbased on the dynamic information received through execution of thecommunications module 210. The dynamic information may include trafficinformation, weather information, newsworthy events or incidents,election results, school closings, or other information that may befeatured in a virtual broadcast presentation.

Execution of the presentation rendering module 220 may also allow formanipulation of a view of the virtual broadcast presentation in responseto the signal received by the communications module 210 from touchscreen 140. Manipulating the view of the presentation may include one ormore of panning across, rotating, tilting, or zooming in/out of thevirtual broadcast presentation. Signals corresponding to various motionsof touch screen 140 may be assigned to various other manipulations ofthe virtual broadcast presentation. For example, touching touch screen140 with one finger and moving the finger upwards may adjust the viewand scroll upwards along the map or presentation. As another example,actuation of a soft key displayed within the virtual broadcastpresentation may affect zoom speed, whereas actuation of a differentsoft key may affect zoom direction.

Execution of the selection module 230 allows for selection of aninteractive element included in the virtual broadcast presentation inresponse to the received signal. An interactive element may include asoft key displayed within the virtual broadcast presentation. Theinteractive element may also represent a traffic alert. For example, ifroad construction is taking place at a given intersection of twostreets, an icon indicative of road construction may be placed in thevirtual broadcast presentation at a position that corresponds to thatgiven intersection. Execution of the selection module 230 may alsoselect the interactive element when the interactive element ispositioned near the center of the virtual broadcast presentation.

Selecting the interactive element may cause one of a variety ofresponses from the virtual broadcast presentation. For example,selection of an interactive element may cause additional informationrelated to the interactive element to be displayed within the virtualbroadcast presentation. In one embodiment, the interactive element maycorrespond to a traffic camera wherein selection of the interactiveelement causes a live camera view to appear within the virtual broadcastpresentation.

Execution of the feedback module 240 provides feedback to the presenterto inform the presenter that a given interactive element is selectable.For example, the interactive element may be selectable in certainregions of the virtual broadcast presentation, such as the center. Whenthe interactive element enters or leaves the center of the virtualbroadcast presentation, the presenter may be informed via feedback. Thefeedback may include highlighting of the interactive element. To avoiddistracting or otherwise undesirable imagery such as a cursor beingincluded in the virtual broadcast presentation, non-visible feedback maybe invoked. Examples of non-visible feedback include a vibration oftouch screen 140 or an audible tone.

Execution of the feedback module 240 also provides feedback to thepresenter that a given interactive element has been successfullyselected. For example, if the presenter has selected a particularinteractive element, feedback module 240 may highlight the interactiveelement, change the color or appearance of the interactive element, orcause the interactive element to blink or flash continually. Suchfeedback confirms the selection of the interactive element and preventsthe presenter from selecting the same interactive element multipletimes.

Execution of the trip calculation module 250 may allow for thedetermination or calculation of an estimated amount of time (e.g., ‘triptime’) needed to travel from a selected location to another location.For example, the presenter may select a first interactive elementdisplayed in the virtual broadcast presentation wherein the firstinteractive element corresponds to a starting point or location. Thepresenter may then select a second interactive element displayed in thepresentation that corresponds to a desired end point or destinationlocation. An interactive element or starting/end point may include aparticular street, road, landmark or point of interest, highway,neighborhood, town, city, area, region or the like. Trip calculationmodule 250 may calculate the estimated amount of time required totraverse the real world distance from the first selected interactiveelement to the second interactive element in real-time considering, atleast in part, information from information sources 130. Whencalculating a trip time, trip calculation module 250, for example, mayconsider the actual distance from the starting point to the end point,as well as various conditions affecting travel, including currentweather conditions or traffic conditions such as a recent accident orroad closure. In another embodiment, trip calculation module 250 may beused to calculate an estimated travel distance between two selectedlocations. Execution of trip calculation module 250 may occur followingthe actuation of a ‘mode key’ as discussed further in FIG. 3A below.

Execution of the virtual broadcast presentation engine 120 may outputthe virtual broadcast presentation to other components of the computingdevice 110 for generation of the composite presentation. Accordingly,the computing device 110 may output the composite presentation to thebroadcast system 150 for dissemination to viewers.

FIG. 3A illustrates a virtual broadcast presentation 300 displayed on atouch screen 140. The presentation 300 of FIG. 3A includes trafficinformation. The principles described herein with respect to traffic areequally applicable to embodiments of the present invention that includeweather information, newsworthy events or incidents, school closings,election results, or other information that may be featured on a virtualbroadcast presentation. Presentation 300 may be generated andmanipulated by execution of the presentation rendering module 220 inreal-time. Presentation 300 may include satellite images of a given areawith an animated road traffic report. A detailed description of animatedroad traffic reports may be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/302,418, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,221,287, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference.

Satellite images may be manipulated by execution of the presentationrendering module 220 to aid in generating three-dimensional information.For example, two-dimensional satellite images may be processed in thecontext of other geographical information (e.g., topographicalinformation) to generate a three-dimensional satellite image thatreflects information along an x-, y-, and z-axis as illustrated inpresentation 300. The textured three-dimensional representation oflandscape of a particular urban area aligns with and provides thethree-dimensional coordinates for the road ways that may be animated andoverlaid on the satellite images.

The presentation 300 may also include a variety of markers (310A-310C)to identify or label various locations, landmarks, or points of interestappearing in presentation 300 such as exit ramps, highways, namedsections of highways, or city streets. These markers may be readily oruniversally recognizable, such as a highway marker resembling aCalifornia state highway sign with the appropriate highway number.Presentation 300 may also include markers or icons corresponding to thelocation of traffic incidents, road construction, and traffic cameras.Some or all of these markers 310C may be interactive elements of thevirtual broadcast presentation 300 and show real-time conditions, suchas an average traffic speed associated with a particular location. Aninteractive element may include any marker, icon, label, object, orimage appearing in presentation 300 that may be associated withreal-time content or data. An interactive element, for example, mayinclude a street, road, bridge, highway, landmark, point of interest,traffic incident or alert, road construction, or traffic camera.

A presenter 305 may select an interactive element using touch screen140. FIG. 4 illustrates an interactive element appearing in a virtualbroadcast presentation 300 displayed on touch screen 140. In oneembodiment, an interactive element 410 (i.e., traffic incident) may bemarked by a particular icon, image, or symbol (e.g., an arrow pointingto the location of the traffic incident), as shown in FIG. 4. When aninteractive element is selected, additional information related to thatinteractive element may be displayed. In one embodiment, an interactiveelement marking a traffic incident may be selected resulting in detailedtextual information describing the traffic incident being displayedwithin presentation 300 (not shown).

Returning to FIG. 3A, presentation 300 may include images of vehicles315 appearing along a specific roadway or highway. A vehicle 315 may beanimated, for example, to show the speed and direction of traffic alonga particular highway. Presentation 300 may also use color coding todemonstrate real-time traffic conditions. Color coding may help a viewerof the presentation 300 to quickly understand real-time trafficconditions associated with a depicted map or location. Presentation 300may include a legend 320 describing various objects or colorrepresentations used in presentation 300. A ‘green’ colored section of aroad, street, or highway, for example, may represent that real-timetraffic is moving at a speed of 50 miles per hour or higher (e.g.,normal or optimal conditions). A ‘yellow’ colored highway may representtraffic speeds of 25 miles per hour or higher (e.g., delayedconditions), while a ‘red’ colored highway may represent traffic speedsthat are less than 25 miles per hour (e.g., slow or impactedconditions).

The presentation 300 may also display one or more soft keys with variousfunctionalities such as orientation key 325, tilt key 330, rotation key335, synchronization key 340, previous and next presentation displaykeys 345A-345B, and mode key 350. Presenter 305 may actuate a soft keyto facilitate or enhance the understanding of the content ofpresentation 300. For example, presenter 305 may use tilt key 330 toadjust or modify a view or perspective of presentation 300 vertically orhorizontally. The presenter 305 may also change the perspective ofpresentation 300 by actuating rotation key 335. Changing the perspectiveof presentation 300 may alter the orientation of the presentation suchthat a ‘north’ direction of a map or image is not oriented at the top oftouch screen 140. As such, presenter 305 may actuate orientation key 325to return the ‘north’ direction to the top of touch screen 140. In oneembodiment, presenter 305 may touch a soft key with one finger or hand(e.g., tilt key 330 or rotation key 335) while using the other hand toactivate the functionality of the soft key (e.g., move or adjust thetouch screen in the desired direction).

The presentation 300 may also include a synchronization key 340.Presentation 300 may be generated based on information received inreal-time or near real-time through execution of communications module210. Presenter 305 may actuate synchronization key 340 to cause thesynchronization of data in real time such that presentation 300 reflectsthe most current information and conditions. In one embodiment,synchronization of data may be done automatically. In anotherembodiment, presenter 305 or another user may program or instructcomputing device 110 to synchronize data at regular time periods (e.g.,every 10 seconds, every minute, every two minutes, etc.).

A presenter 305 may zoom in or out of presentation 300 by actuating keyscorresponding to a particular view of the presentation, such as aprevious key 345A and a next key 345B. For example, previous key 345Amay revert to a presentation that offers a zoom out view while next key345B may allow a view that zooms in from the current view. Previous andnext keys may, alternatively, be assigned zoom in or zoom outfunctionality. Presenter 305 may actuate a particular key (345A, 345B)multiple times to further zoom in or out of the current view. In oneembodiment, the previous key 345A and next key 345B may be used todisplay or shift to a different image or map within presentation 300.

The presentation 300 may also include mode key 350. Presenter 305 mayoperate presentation 300 in different modes such as ‘trip time mode’ or‘navigation mode.’ Presenter 305 may switch between various modes byactuating mode key 350. Presenter 305 may use navigation mode to viewpresentation 300 as described in FIG. 3B below. Trip time mode isdiscussed in further detail in FIGS. 6A and 6B below.

FIG. 3B illustrates the virtual broadcast presentation 300 of FIG. 3Afollowing manipulation by presenter 305. Presenter 305 may manipulatepresentation 300 in navigation mode to review or illustrate real-timetraffic conditions (e.g., average traffic speeds, traffic incidents,etc.) associated with various locations depicted in presentation 300. Aview of presentation 300 may be manipulated to give the effect of‘flying,’ or scrolling through the three-dimensional virtualrepresentation of the traffic map and images. As presenter 305 scrollsthrough presentation 300, various interactive elements may behighlighted and/or become available for selection. FIG. 3B illustratespresentation 300 of FIG. 3A following presenter 305 touching touchscreen 140 and scrolling through presentation 300. As a result,presentation 300 (as shown in FIG. 3B) shows a magnified portion ofpresentation 300 (i.e., the intersection of highways 287 and 107) andthe associated traffic conditions (e.g., traffic speeds).

Presenter 300 may interact with presentation 300 using other interactiontechniques known in the art. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates theinteraction technique of “pinching” (e.g., zooming in or out ofpresentation 300) used with virtual broadcast presentation 300 displayedon touch screen 140. As shown in FIG. 5, presenter 305 may interact withpresentation 300 by touching touch screen 140 and bringing two fingerscloser together (on one hand or with two). Such motion may cause theview associated with presentation 300 to zoom out of the currentviewpoint.

Besides zooming in or out of presentation 300, presenter 305 may alsomanipulate presentation 300 by panning, tilting, and/or rotating theview. For example, as presenter 305 touches touch screen 140 to scrollthrough presentation 300, touch screen 140 generates a correspondingsignal that is received in conjunction with execution of thecommunications module 210. In turn, the presentation rendering module220 may be executed to move or rotate the presentation 300 acorresponding amount as presenter 305 manipulated the touch screen 140.The correspondence of the presentation 300 to manipulation of the touchscreen 140 gives the presenter 305 the sensation of directly controllingthe presentation 300. Such manipulation of the view may also be used inselecting interactive elements. For example, if a particular interactiveelement may be selected only when near the center of the presentation300, the presenter may cause the view to be manipulated such that theparticular interactive element is centered and therefore selectable.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate a virtual broadcast presentation in ‘trip timemode.’ Presenter 305 may activate trip time mode by actuating mode key350. Once trip time mode has been activated, presenter 305 may select aninteractive element corresponding to a first location or starting pointby touching the interactive element within presentation 300 displayed ontouch screen 140. As shown in FIG. 6A, presenter 305 has selected ordesignated “83.sup.rd Ave” as a starting point. Following selection ofthe first location, display 355A may appear confirming the selection ofpresenter 305.

Presenter 305 may then select another interactive element correspondingto a second location or end point or travel destination by touching asecond interactive element within presentation 300 displayed on touchscreen 140. As shown in FIG. 6B, presenter 305 has selected ordesignated “1st Ave” as an end point. Following selection of the secondinteractive element, trip calculation module 250 may calculate theestimated amount of time required to traverse the real world distancefrom the first selected interactive element (i.e., “83.sup.rd Ave”) tothe second interactive element (i.e., “1st Ave”) in real-timeconsidering, at least in part, information from information sources 130.For example, trip calculation module 250 may consider various conditionsaffecting travel such as weather conditions or traffic conditions suchas a recent accident, a road closure, or any other delay. Display 355Bmay then display the estimated trip time (i.e., “28 minutes”), as wellas any condition affecting travel such as weather conditions or atraffic delay, within presentation 300 on touch screen 140. Display 355Bmay also show the route (i.e., highway “25”) associated with thecalculated trip time.

Besides calculating the estimate trip time in real-time, trip timemodule 250 may calculate or forecast the estimated trip time based on atime of day and/or date (i.e., special day or occasion) designated bypresenter 305. For example, presenter 305 may want to determine theestimated trip time at 9:00 AM (e.g., morning rush hour) or at 8:00 PM(e.g., a later evening hour). As another example, presenter 305 may wantto determine the estimated trip time when departing at a particular timeon the Labor Day holiday or on a date when a sporting event, concert, orother large gathering is scheduled at a venue. In trip time mode,presenter 305 may input the desired time of day and/or date and select astarting point and end point for trip time calculation. In anotherembodiment, trip time mode may also be used to calculate an estimatedtravel distance between two selected locations (not shown). Thecalculated estimated travel distance may also be displayed withinpresentation 300.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a traffic camera appearing within virtualbroadcast presentation 300 displayed on touch screen 140. In oneembodiment, an interactive element appearing in presentation 300 mayinclude a traffic camera (710A, 710B). Presenter 305 may select trafficcamera 710A by touching the traffic camera 710A within presentation 300displayed on touch screen 140 (as shown in FIG. 7A). Following selectionof traffic camera 710A associated with a particular location, a livevideo feed 720 corresponding to the location of a real-world trafficcamera may be displayed within presentation 300 (as shown in FIG. 7B).Presenter 305 may then use live video 720 feed to view actual trafficconditions associated with the real world location of traffic camera710A.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method 800 for touch screeninteraction with traffic data presented in a virtual broadcastpresentation. The steps of method 800 may be performed in varyingorders. Steps may be added or subtracted from the method 800 and stillfall within the scope of the present invention. The steps of the processof FIG. 8 may be embodied in hardware or software including anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructionsexecutable by a processor of a computing device.

At step 810, a real-time, virtual broadcast presentation 300 isgenerated. The presentation 300 may be based on dynamic information andmay be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Execution of thepresentation rendering module 210 may perform step 810. The dynamicinformation may include real-time traffic information or real-timeweather information and be received from the information sources 130 inconjunction with execution of the communications module 210.

At step 820, a signal generated by touch screen 140 may be received. Thesignal generated by touch screen 140 may be based at least partially onthe selection by a presenter of an interactive element displayed withinpresentation 300 on touch screen 140. The signal may also be based onthe actuation of other components included in the touch screen 140 suchas soft keys. Step 820 may be performed by execution of thecommunications module 210. Receipt of the signal in step 820 allows forprocessing of presentation 300 at step 830.

At step 830, presentation 300 is processed in response to the signalreceived at step 820. Execution of the presentation rendering module 220may perform step 830. Presentation 300 may be processed, for example, toallow for real-time manipulation of presentation 300 and various viewsthereof such as zooming in and out, scrolling, panning across, tilting,or rotating presentation 300. Presentation 300 may also be processedbased on the actuation of a particular soft key displayed withinpresentation 300 on touch screen 140.

At step 840, presentation 300 is updated in response to the processedsignal from step 830. Execution of the presentation rendering module 220may perform step 840. For example, presentation 300 may be updated toshow a manipulated viewpoint desired by presenter 305 (e.g., rotated ortilted presentation). Presentation 300 may also be updated to showpresentation 300 in a particular mode such as ‘navigation mode’ or ‘triptime mode.’ Presentation 300 may also be updated to display informationassociated with an interactive element selected by presenter 305, suchas information regarding a traffic incident, road closure, or averagetravel speeds.

Any number of additional and/or optional steps that are not otherwisedepicted may be included in method 800. These steps may includeselection of an interactive element included in the virtual broadcastpresentation using touch screen 140 or feedback being provided to thepresenter to inform the presenter that an interactive element isselectable.

It is noteworthy that any hardware platform suitable for performing theprocessing described herein is suitable for use with the invention.Computer-readable storage media refer to any medium or media thatparticipate in providing instructions to a central processing unit (CPU)for execution. Such media can take forms, including, but not limited to,non-volatile and volatile media such as optical or magnetic disks anddynamic memory, respectively. Common forms of computer-readable storagemedia include a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetictape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM disk, digital video disk(DVD), any other optical medium, RAM, PROM, EPROM, a FLASHEPROM, or anyother memory chip or cartridge.

Various forms of transmission media may be involved in carrying one ormore sequences of one or more instructions to a CPU for execution. A busmay carry data to system RAM, from which a CPU retrieves and executesthe instructions. The instructions received by system RAM may optionallybe stored on a fixed disk either before or after execution by a CPU.

The foregoing detailed description of the technology herein has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order tobest explain the principles of the technology and its practicalapplication to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilizethe technology in various embodiments and with various modifications asare suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that thescope of the technology be defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for conducting touch screen basedinteraction with traffic data, the method comprising: generating athree-dimensional virtual broadcast presentation displayed on a touchscreen including one or more interactive elements and visualrepresentations for the most current traffic conditions, wherein themost current traffic conditions include information about traffic flowand weather, and wherein the virtual broadcast presentation isautomatically synchronized with current information regarding roadconditions available from a plurality of sources including traffic flowdata and weather conditions; receiving a touch screen signal from auser, the touch screen signal corresponding to user interactions withone or more interactive elements on the touch screen indicative of userinterest; processing the received touch screen signal, wherein eachtouch screen signal corresponds to executable instructions thatmanipulates the virtual broadcast presentation; executing theinstructions corresponding to the received touch screen signal therebymanipulating the virtual broadcast presentation, the virtual broadcastpresentation updated to reflect the most current traffic conditionsinclusive of traffic flow and weather.
 2. The method according to claim1, wherein the plurality of sources include public agencies.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein the public agencies include theNational Weather Service.
 4. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe plurality of sources include information from Internet.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sources includepublic listings.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of sources include data from other users.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions executedincludes rotating, tilting, zooming in, zooming out a view of thethree-dimensional virtual broadcast presentation.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the interactive elements arerepresentations of conditions affecting traffic.
 9. The method accordingto claim 8, wherein the interactive elements represent traffic alerts.10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a traffic alert is roadconstruction.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein theinteractive elements identify various locations, landmarks or points ofinterest.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the points ofinterest include exit ramps, highways, and city streets.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the touch screen signal includes selectionof one or more interactive elements.
 14. The method according to claim13, wherein the one or more executed instructions includes displayinginformation regarding the selected interactive element by the user. 15.The method according to claim 14, wherein the displayed informationincludes traffic video from a traffic camera corresponding to aparticular area being monitored by the traffic camera.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 15, wherein the displayed information includesdetailed information about a traffic incident associated with theinteractive element.
 17. The method according to claim 8, wherein theinteractive elements are used to represent weather conditions includingrain and snow.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the weatherconditions may include side effects of the weather conditions includingflooded roads, slippery/icy roads and obstructed roads.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the visual representation includes colorsand objects that illustrates real-time traffic conditions to the user.